I'm not supposed to talk about this as it upsets m, but wow! It's already that "back to school" time of year, isn't it? Not that anyone in my house is going back to school this week (or this fall for that matter). But m just gets sad thinking about the end of summer. We shouldn't be so greedy. We've had a lovely lovely summer. I've enjoyed so much our little trips like the one to Portland, ME and the smaller day trips  to explore different parts of New England.

The above is a photo from a day spent at Arlington Reservoir Beach. The Boston Globe named it one of the best swimming holes in Massachusetts. It's basically an outdoor pool meets a lake as the water was chlorinated and there were flocks of geese and ducks swimming the perimeter - probably wondering who the heck these annoying humans were taking over their home.

One of the best things about the reservoir is that it's a 15 minute drive away from where we live. If we want to get to a nice beach we have to commit to an hour drive either north or due south. I like the reservoir but it could have been a bit cleaner (lots of feathers) - couldn't one of those life guards have put a skimmer to the water? And since it's a reservoir the water is calm and so leftie could sit comfortably in the shallow end and sort rocks (her favorite beach activity these days) without getting pounded by a beach tide.

We've also been to Crane Beach up in Ipswich and Nahant Beach (just south of Ipswich). I foolishly forgot to pull out my camera the two times that we were at Crane Beach which is too bad because it's so pretty there and probably my favorite beach we've been to in New England. Nahant Beach was also nice - I'll save my review of it for another post.

Thank you New England for providing us with such a pleasant and enjoyable summer. It's not over yet. I keep hearing how the best beach days are in August and even all the way through September. Here's to a few more days of sandy toes and sun-kissed shoulders.

This was meant to be a sweater for the past spring but I got sidetracked by other projects and so the lovely bundle of pink yarn lay waiting. Luckily I'd thought to size it up generously so leftie should be able to wear it this fall and winter as well. Lucky too that she's a skinny kid - I wonder if I might be able to get an extra year of wear out of it? I intend to cuff the sleeves until she grows into them.

Such a sweet and clever sweater pattern. I love the use of buttons for the eyes. More details+photos here.

I love that we live in one of the densest cities in the US but have easy and close access to so much green space including lots of farms! We went to Chip In Farm some weekends ago, maybe the 4th of July weekend? It was nice and quiet (no crowds). There's a small petting zoo where you can feed the animals scraps for free.

The general store (first photo) is very charming and old-timey. We picked up a dozen of their eggs which seemed to be the more popular item in the store as the handful of other patrons came in solely for the purpose of buying their eggs.

There were a few chickens running loose out on the grounds. One in particular (3rd and 4th photos) who seemed to know the drill even if we didn't. I eventually ran back into the store to pick up some scraps for an offering.

And that baby cow was just about the cutest thing ever.

I'm thinking of making this farm a part of a regular weekly activity for leftie. For her first trip to a petting zoo she was a little nervous - there was a rather demanding goat that made us all jump. But she did enjoy watching me feed the bunnies. No photos of that since I'm the family photographer and m was in charge of baby-wrangling.

Chicken Breasts with Sauce Supreme.

Here's a dish that I've been making since 2003 (according to my notes). I'd sort of forgotten about it and so it hasn't been a part of my weekly dinner rotation. It's pretty easy to make but does turn out a tasty and rather elegant meal. I served it with steamed broccoli and leftover penne. I would have preferred it over a nice thick noodle like fettucini or pappardelle but in a pinch the penne worked out. I'd think this would also be delicious with the sauce spooned over mashed potatoes. The recipe came from here.

My only changes are that I used chicken cutlets so that the cooking time for the chicken was shorter. Also I feel like the cutlets made for a more tender dish. Also I like mushrooms so I add a whole carton of sliced mushrooms instead of the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for.

PS. Finely chopped onions can be used in the place of shallots - I haven't had much luck in finding organic shallots at my local market.

In unrelated news: I've been hanging out a bit over at pinterest. Their format makes it faster/easier for me to share stuff that I used to do more of over here (graphic design stuff with links and credits, etc.). Come and take a look.

Photographing my meals is getting harder. When my meal is ready I'm often hungry and tired and the lighting is poor and I'm negotiating an 18 month old in my arms and around my distended belly. I've got at least 6 meals that I cooked and savored and wanted to share recently but do not have any photos to post. Alas.

Tonight I lingered a bit too long at the market arguing with aforementioned 18 month old who was screeching at the top of her lungs while we cruised the produce section. Yes, shoppers of the Fresh Pond location Whole Foods, that was us. The acoustics are excellent I am happy to report.

At the last minute I grabbed one of the store's rotisserie chickens and also the fixings for a greek style salad. Suddenly all I wanted was a greek style salad. I don't know why I don't make one more often I really enjoy them when I get them as a side to my meal at greek/mediterranean restaurants. So easy, so tasty. I added the roast chicken chopped up to the salad and mmmm'd my way through the rest of the meal (in between reading to leftie who insisted that she perch on my lap with a stack of board books on the table before us).

I don't want to forget even this very basic salad so here are my notes: My greek style salad consists of large chopped pieces of romaine lettuce (which I've been favoring in my salads lately because it's so easy and quick to wash the leaves). Added to the lettuce was cubes of a luscious heirloom tomato and cucumber, a handful of kalamata olives, lemon juice, dried oregano, crumbled feta (yay for cheeses made from pasteurized milk!), salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

I think the vinegar I use really makes the difference in this basic oil+vinegar dressing. Years ago I bought a bottle of a brand called Napa Valley Naturals red wine vinegar at a fancy organic market. It brought such a wonderful flavor to my salad dressings that it's the only red wine vinegar I ever use anymore.

Oh and I add a bit of onion to the salad as well. Finely chopped though. I enjoy the taste that raw onions impart on salads and such, but I don't like biting into a raw onion. I wonder about that though. How come so many dishes come with red onions these days? Are they more special than regular onions? (I usually buy yellow but have also been known to use white when I want a mellower flavor.) Are they supposed to be fancier? Cheaper? Prettier? I certainly enjoy the color but I feel like restaurants are getting a little unoriginal when they add red onions to every dish on the menu.

I tossed everything together adjusting the seasonings to suit my tastes and added the chopped up chicken at the very end.

Yum yum.

me (at 23 weeks) + leftie + jr. on Peaks Island, Me


daddy + leftie at Fort Williams Park near Cape Elizabeth, Me



We took a long weekend up to Portland, ME last Saturday through Tuesday. It was wonderful! I've always wanted to explore Portland because so many blogging artists/designers whom I admire live in the area. And after spending a few days there I can see why they do.

Unfortunately having so much fun while juggling a toddler left me with few photos to show for my trip. I finally remembered on our last two days to pull out my camera and snap a few shots. Some of my favorite moments - alas - are left undocumented. I made a list of them though (I feel like I'm forgetting some):

Watching and playing with m and leftie in the hotel pool.
The charming sleepy downtown in Bath, Me. I think we got there on a slow weekend. Nearly everything seemed closed.
The lovely beach where I wish we had worn our bathing suits at Ferry Beach.
All the amazing food we ate.

To wit:
Duckfat in Portland which is basically a pressed sandwich joint but oh do they make the most amazing fries! I could have eaten all my meals there.

Ditto The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth. The best breakfast I've ever had. Ever. Leftie was surprisingly uninterested in the freshly baked (in-house) blueberry muffin we ordered for her so m and I ended up splitting it between the two of us. Even though I was stuffed to the gills. Stuffed, I tell you!

I also need to make special mention of the beans (called "Lisa's Beans" on the menu) that came with m's Maine Guide Breakfast. I would love to get a recipe. As I type this I am contemplating the 2+hr drive it would take for us to get there from Cambridge so I can enjoy another meal. We only got breakfast, imagine what their other meals must be like!

Solo Bistro Bistro in Bath which had a wonderful sounding prix fixe menu which I now regret not ordering. I opted for their miso glazed cod instead and wowsers! It was love at every bite.

Gilbert's Chowder House in Portland (on the waterfront) where we enjoyed clams three different ways (in a chowder, fried and steamed). I also ordered a lobster roll. I was on vacation. It felt necessary.

Lois' Natural Marketplace in Scarborough where I picked up the best tasting mediterranean "mezze" plate. M's Thai peanut chicken wrap was also quite divine.

We need to go back to try more food and take more photos. M still laments that we did not make it up to Maples where they make organic gelato in small batches. We might be able to console him with some local ice cream this weekend.

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!

(l - r: beckett - crosby)


(l -r: huxley - thatcher)


winston

Just back from a trip to Portland, ME and I'm really too tired to be doing anything. Even pretend shopping for new glasses. But look how I wasted the last half hour of my time! Which do you like the best? I'm leaning towards huxley or beckett. Or winston. Or definitely beckett. Glasses from here.

A little tea party set up for fairy guests?


Of course daddy is always invited.

Hope you all had a nice father's day!

I've discovered a new way of making green beans. I discovered this back last September when vacationing with friends in Ithaca, NY. I saw some green beans at their local organic market and they looked good so I bought a bunch intending to make them up the usual way. I got back to our rental cottage and realized that I was short a few key ingredients so I improvised. What a yummy serendipity! M prefers this new method and I've only made them this way a few times so I'll probably stick to this new method for a while longer. Can't wait till the beans in our garden make their appearance.

Jean's Green Beans

1 lb of fresh green beans trimmed of their ends and cut (if desired) into 1"-2" pieces
1 TBSP of unsalted butter
1 clove of garlic crushed

1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes quartered or 1 medium ripe tomato chopped
1/2 tsp of dried oregano

Add the first three ingredients to a pan sautee on medium high heat until the garlic gets nice and rendered. Add the tomatoes and continue to stir until the tomatoes cook down. Add the oregano, stir and cover pan for a few minutes. Keep cooking covered until the beans are tender (about 10-15 minutes). Serve and enjoy!

NB: I usually trim and rinse my vegetables before I cook them so there is always a bit of water clinging to them when I add them to the pan. If you've bought pre-prepped veggies or did the work yourself and the beans are dry, add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan so that the beans and garlic don't burn.

A little catching up.

Above are the elbow-length mittens I finished some time ago (back in April?) when elbow-length mittens were still (sometimes) a necessity. Leftie always managed to pull off her other mittens and so I figured that if these were long, she might be able to pull them loose but not successfully pull them off.

A friend of mine suggested extending these mittens to include an attachment to a hat. But thankfully leftie's always been good about keeping her hat on.

Knitting details on ravelry. Just realizing that I never posted about the original mittens. Those details (and photos) are here.


More catching up:



Wool pants for those cold New England nights. I've been calling 'em "yarn pants." Leftie was snuggled up in these well through April - we have some heating issues in our home. I was so pleased to be able to use up scraps to make these. The yarn held up better than these photos show. After a wash in the delicate cycle all that pilling disappeared. Next winter I'll plan ahead and knit up a few pair for her and her brother. Details here.

Random stuff I am into lately:

Peppermint. Mostly I want to smell it all the time. So refreshing! I bought what I thought was a peppermint shampoo earlier this year but it ended up smelling more like dandruff shampoo than peppermint. Disappointment! When my friend nathan came to visit back in April he'd leave the shower all peppermint-y smelling. I asked him what he was using and he said it was Dr. Bronner's. I tried that once but I don't like the way it leaves my hair+skin feeling. Maybe I'll just use it as a cleaning agent for my bathroom/kitchen.

Weddings. Well yes of course I still dream of re-doing my wedding. And one of the funnest parts is dreaming up what my dress would be. This designer is really quite heavenly. Usually I don't find such well designed wedding apparel on etsy, but wow! Check out her  sold items (on the left column) for some more of her designs.

Cottage chic. I don't want to decorate my home with beach cottage-y things, but I'm sort of longing to be surrounded by this look. Maybe what I need to do is buy a beach cottage. Somewhere in northern California. Hah! I dream of white painted wood slat interiors, wicker furniture, sea glass and shells scattered artfully around the home. Wide windows with views of the water. The smell of salt in the air. Ah....

Sewing my own clothes. This is an obsession that never leaves me. If only I had the time... I've been busy with a few other things you see.

This is from about 10 weeks ago. We've been calling him "junior." And yes, it's a boy.

Sorry for the blog silence folks. I've had some computer troubles resulting in me having to buy a new computer. Exciting! But unexpected for the ole budget. I'm still trying to get my workflow back in order. And there have been other going-ons in my personal life that have made blogging a bit challenging lately. More on that later. Hope you are all well...

Goofing around with braids...
Am I late the party again or have braids become hip recently?
Or am I too old to mess around with this look anyways?

I loved this color (it's called Azul Profundo. Profundo indeed!) and bought the yarn to make a cardi for leftie. Then decided that the color was too grown up for such a wee thing. Whoops. New circular scarf for me. It's wonderfully soft and warm and I love wrapping it around my neck. And how handy that I never had to worry about it slipping off of my neck? Knitterly details here.

Am I rhapsodizing if I say that the lighting looks Scandinavian?